San Francisco · With kids
WITH KIDS
A rainforest under a dome, hands-on physics on a pier, and hills that punish anyone pushing a stroller.
California Academy of Sciences
An aquarium, a planetarium, a four-storey rainforest dome and a living roof in one Golden Gate Park building. Ages three to twelve; arrive at opening.
Exploratorium on Pier 15
Six hundred hands-on exhibits on Pier 15, built for touching rather than reading. Ages four to thirteen; the tactile dome needs booking and suits older children.
Cable cars and Pier 39
A cable car ride is a fairground attraction with a conductor, and the sea lions on K dock are free, loud and reliably there. Ages two upwards.
Koret Children's Quarter
The oldest public playground in the country, with a 1912 carousel and long concrete slides, at the eastern end of Golden Gate Park. Ages two to nine.
Fog, hills and Alcatraz
August is the cold month — layers, always. Plan stroller routes along the flat avenues rather than the hills, and save Alcatraz for ages eight upwards.